Merten & Storck 12” Carbon Steel Skillet, Pre-Seasoned Frying Pan for Induction, Gas, and Open Flame, Lightweight Nonstick Cookware for Searing, Grilling, Oven Use, and Camping

I bought the 8" on a whim after nuking years of carbon buildup off of my workhorse ~10" carbon steel pan (I don't know the brand, just that it was made in Japan, and that I bought it for around $37 at a local Japanese grocery chain in Southern California). My 10" was always just a bit too big for eggs and omelettes, and as it's slightly convex by design (intended to flatten out when heated), at lower temperatures it retains its convexness, causing eggs to make a run to the edges and making omelettes a bit awkward and uneven. Also in my arsenal is a smaller, 5" cast iron skillet, which is perfect size for a single egg, but it also takes forever to heat up and too small for omelettes.Enter this 8" Merten & Storck. I find it to be the perfect sidekick to my larger carbon steel pan. While small, the steel on the handle is quite thick, giving the whole pan a bit of heft. The pan definitely does not feel cheap, in fact, the fit and finish feels a bit nicer than my MIJ 10", which is quite spartan and no-frills in comparison--I'm guessing it was intended for use in Japanese commercial food service and not really in home kitchens. The size is great for omelettes, and I managed to do a perfect french-style omelette in it--no browning, slightly runny in the center! This speaks to its properties regarding thermal conductivity and retention. While some people have noted the thinness of the steel, I find it an advantage--it doesn't take long to evenly heat the pan up, though it won't retain heat as well as thicker carbon steel pans or cast iron. While on the topic of heat, since I'm mainly using this for eggs, omelettes, and the occasional stir fry, I haven't tried to use this pan with the burner on full blast like I would my thicker/larger 10" CS, cast iron skillets, or CS wok. Thus, I can't speak for how warp resistant it is, but I would be a bit wary. I'm guessing this was mostly intended for medium to low heat (though I'm sure it can handle more).Of note is the pan's finish. Merten & Storck claim that it comes pre-seasoned, but considering my previous Japanese carbon steel was preseasoned (which I'm 100% sure of, as I've stripped the seasoning down to raw steel and re-blued many times), I'm not convinced they're completely telling the truth. Rather than a dark, glossy finish, the Merten & Storck is rather matte, and considerably lighter--it's almost a cold, gunmetal grey, with a bit of blue in it. At first, I thought that I either didn't remove the protective wax coating completely, or that the pan was actually coated with Teflon, as water and oil beaded up much like you'd expect with other nonstick coatings.However, there is no horrific off-gassing when smoking hot, so I'm pretty sure that it _is_ raw carbon steel underneath. I'm convinced that the pan is actually nitrided carbon steel, which, from what I've read, tends to give the surface high lubricity (in other words, a naturally non-stick surface). After using the pan a fair amount for about a week, I've noticed some slight discoloration, which means that it _is_ developing a seasoning, albeit rather slowly. You just won'tbe able to season this pan as you would a traditional carbon steel pan, as any oil you try and spread on it will simply bead up and wipe away.Ultimately, I find this to be a non-issue. Since the point of seasoning is to offer corrosion resistance and to prep an even surface which will prevent sticking, nitriding should naturally accomplish both of these things. Just be aware that more care might need to be taken to retain the nitriding, as it seems it's less resistant to pitting than regular carbon steel. In other words, you probably don't want to be slamming metal utensils against it like you might do on a CS wok.Other reviewers have brought up the fact that this pan was made in China. I've no qualms with this, my carbon steel wok is Chinese made, and is a total workhorse. I find the pan to be a great value, and I'm quite satisfied with my purchase. If you just need a little pan to use and abuse, definitely consider this one.EDIT: OK, so I dry roasted some chiles, tomatillos, and tomatoes in this pan for salsa. Being acidic, the tomatoes and tomatillos definitely stripped away some of the surface steel, but I wasn't cooking a whole sauce so it only affected small areas. The pan is now taking seasoning properly on the bottom, but still exhibits some hydrophobic qualities on the sides and some areas on the bottom edge. Still wonderfully non-stick, and my eggs are turning out perfectly. Added some photos to show how it looks now, and in comparison to my Japanese CS pan.

I have been a user of cast iron pans for over 15 years. Many of the cast iron pans I have are very old, and were crusted pans that I had to strip the crud off them and season them before they could be used. Some are newer preseasoned pans that I often stripped the seasoning from them to season them again.When I discovered the carbon steel pans, I was intrigued as these pans are much lighter than cast iron. As a point of reference, I also have a number of Le Creuset and Staub pans and Dutch ovens that I love, but are also very heavy and relatively expensive. Before buying, I usually do research to find out about products I am not familiar with.In my research, I found out that materials used in carbon steel and cast iron pans are basically the same except that carbon steel contains 99% iron and 1% carbon vs. cast iron that contains 2%-3.5% carbon and less iron. The additional carbon causes cast iron to be more brittle, so pans are made thicker to help prevent breakage which also makes them much heavier. Since both have a high iron content, they must be oiled to prevent oxidation and rust. Both have pores that absorb oil when heated, hence the creation of the non-stick properties through "seasoning", but the pores in carbon steel are microscopic and much smaller than the pores in cast iron. Because of this, much less oil should be used to season carbon steel than cast iron. If you use too much oil, or do not remove the excess oil as the pans cool, you will end up with a sticky residue on the pan. This is true for both carbon steel and cast iron, and both require some simple maintenance by heating them and coating them with oil after each use. I, personally, use Crisco All Vegetable shortening.A couple reviews mentioned flaking of the surface after use. These pans come preseasoned and coated with a layer of wax to prevent oxidation (rust). The layer of wax must be cleaned off per the instructions before the first use. This is done by washing them in warm soapy water and wiping them with a scrubby sponge to get all the wax off. If this isn't done, the wax will flake off when used the first time.At this point, I truly love these pans and will likely sell some of my treasured cast iron. So, what do I love about these pans.1 - They are so much lighter in weight than cast iron.2 - These pans are nonstick with the seasoning already on the pans and only gets better with time and proper seasoning after each use.3 - Carbon steel, as well as cast iron, will continue to look like new if cleaned and seasoned after each use.4 - Heats and cools much faster than cast iron. For both, medium to medium high heat is all that is needed.5 - Can be used on the stove and in the oven as well as an induction cook top.6 - Since carbon steel cools faster than cast iron, it is less likely to burn foods that are not immediately removed.7 - Nest together well and take less storage space than most other pan.8 - Can stack together and use metal utensils without the fear of scratching them.In conclusion, I would definitely recommend these pans if you are willing to take the time to maintain them. If you can do this, they will last for years to come.UPDATE 03/31/22:I have 3 of these pans in 8", 10", and 12" sizes, and the two pictured are the ones I have used the most. In the last 4 weeks, I have used these pans quite often, and so far, they are totally non-stick and have not changed in color as I expected them to. Maybe it is something in the way I take care of them. After using them, they are washed with soap and water without any scrubbing. I totally dry them by heating them on the stove to open the pores of the pan, and then add a very small amount of Crisco oil on a paper towel to coat them with oil. After a couple more minutes of heating, I use a paper towel to remove any excess oil. As they cool, more oils beads on the surface of the pan, and this is again wiped off. Before I store them, I wipe them again with a kitchen towel. Although I fully expect these pans to change color over time, it's possible they stay looking nice by not letting excess oils stay on them. I do know that leaving excess oil on these pans or on cast iron pans will cause a sticky residue to develop. Built up oils on these pans or cast iron will cause them to look really cruddy and will reduce the nonstick capabilities of both.UPDATE 4/07/22:Today, I found out something about carbon steel pans the hard way. Cooking acidic foods in a carbon steel pan removes the seasoning. I made brats with sauerkraut in one of my carbon steel pans. I browned the brats, and then added the sauerkraut to the pan to heat it with the brats. The pan was fine until I cleaned it and found that part of the seasoning was gone. The pan was down to the bare grey metal in spots. Although this doesn't damage the pan, it has to be heated, oiled, and cooled a couple of times to season it again and regain the nonstick qualities of the pan. I also want to mention that when searing meat, you need to get a good sear on the meat before turning it. If you don't, the meat will stick.UPDATE 5/13/22:I have added pictures of my 8" and 10" pans that have been used quite a lot since I got them a couple of months ago. I am extremely happy with the nonstick quality of these pans and that they are so very much lighter than my cast iron pans. After every use, I season them as described previously, and so far they haven't changed in color. Personally, I believe this is because I don't let the oil burn on the pan when I season it as I have also found this to be true with my cast iron pans. All of my cast iron is an even dark black color and also nonstick. In the past, I have had a couple of cast iron pans change color when oil had been left on it for too long and burned. Although the color of the pans will get darker with use and seasoning, I don't think they have to become ugly if the patina is developed evenly.I hope this review was helpful for you. I will update the review if my opinion changes.